DMB&B Turns Goodwrench Ads for GM

DETROIT-D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, Troy, Mich., launches a full-scale advertising campaign Sept. 1 for General Motors’ new Goodwrench Service Plus program, said Mike Koch, DMB&B vice president and group account supervisor. The campaign includes four 30-second TV spots, a half-dozen magazine ads, newspaper, radio and outdoor, as well as Web links at the Goodwrench Internet site at www.gmgoodwrench.com. GM’s Service Parts Operations spent $17.9 million on advertising in 1996, according to Competitive Media Reporting. Through May of this year, spending was tracking lower, at $3.4 million, but the final calendar-year tally is expected to outpace last year with this new initiative. The humorous TV spots will run on a variety of network and cable channels. Each emphasizes how the new GM Goodwrench Service Plus plan is the benchmark for automotive servicing with the tagline, “The plus means better,” Koch said. One spot, “Pitstop,” features NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, owner of a Chevrolet dealership which is participating in the program. A version of that spot for Hispanic consumers, with Earnhardt speaking Spanish, will air on Hispanic programming. Print executions will run in a wide variety of lifestyle and news books, including Time, Newsweek, People and TV Guide. Women, African Americans and Hispanics will be specifically targeted with titles including Better Homes & Gardens, Woman’s Day, Ebony and Essence. So far, about 2,000 of the 8,500 GM dealers have enrolled in the program. Advantages of the initiative include more convenient service hours, courtesy transportation, upfront competitive pricing, a limited Lifetime Service Guarantee oneligible parts and labor and GM Goodwrench Quick Lube Plus oil change service, which offers a 29-minute oil change.